P.H.A.R.E Project – Chapter 1

2023-10-16

Since July 2023, our production site has been in the process of being completely restructured through the PHARE project
(Preserving the AMEL Heritage by Reinventing it Together)…
but let’s look back at the origins of AMEL’s Yard!

Chapter 1 : Once upon a time, Henri Amel, a visionary.

The AMEL Yard was named after its founder and creator, Henri Amel, whose real name was Henri Tonnet. Henri Tonnet was born in 1913 and developed a passion for boats from an early age. He was conscripted during the war, seriously wounded in one eye, and lost his vision for several years. This disability gave him strength of character and inspired him to build robust, safe and easy-to-handle sailboats. He named his brand “AMEL”, in reference to his resistance’s nickname.

In 1964, Henri Amel took over the company ARPIN (Ateliers Rochelais de Polyester Industriel et Naval), located in the Ville en Bois neighborhood on the edge of the port of La Rochelle.

Back then, he had already more than forty employees, including designer Jacques Carteau, who was to be his right-hand man for his entire career, especially in his functions as a technical director and then CEO of AMEL’s Yard.

AMEL boats were built using their own glass fabric, assembling the interior walls to the deck and to the hull by layering, forming a single piece and an extremely resistant structure. Models such as the Copain, Pampero, Super Mistral Sport and Euros 39 were built in these first workshops in La Rochelle.

But an unexpected event took place several years later, forcing Henri Amel and his team to face a major challenge.

To be continued …

Gender Equality Index – Women and Men

In accordance with current French legislation, Chantiers AMEL publishes its Gender Equality Index between women and men each year.

This index, scored out of 100 points, is calculated based on four criteria for companies with 50 to 250 employees: equal pay, individual salary increases, raises following maternity leave, and gender balance among the top 10 highest salaries.

For the year 2025, based on 2024 data, Chantiers AMEL achieved a score of 99/100 on its Gender Equality Index.

SA Chantiers AMEL remains strongly committed to gender equality and, more broadly, to professional equality for all its employees.

Anti-Waste and Circular Economy Law (AGEC)

Under the above French law, since the 1st of January 2022, each producer (company that places a product in the market) has his unique producer identifier number (Article L.541-10-13). This unique identifier number, assigned by the ADEME (French agency for the environment and energy management), proves that the placer on the market is a member of the APER (French association for eco-friendly pleasure boating) and that it fulfills its regulatory obligations. The AMEL SHIPYARDS’ U-ID number is: FR028009_18AOCF.